Smart homes used to be a thing of the future, but that future is now, and it is actually relatively affordable. Smart home technology can make a lot of things easier, but only if you know what to be looking for and what to focus on first. Here are five things that you can look into upgrading to make your home and life easier to work with.
Digital Thermostats
The average home costs over $1,000 per year to heat and cool. Your thermostat is responsible for divvying out the electricity for every penny spent on heating and cooling. Every bit of efficiency you can squeeze out of your thermostat can add up to huge savings.
New smart digital thermostats can adapt to your schedule. Some models can even connect to the internet to match the daily weather and its fluctuations. Wouldn’t it be nice to have your thermostat automatically crank up the heat in the middle of a snowstorm, or keep your home extra cool in a heat wave?
Smart Washers
Another huge expense that homeowners face is doing laundry. The average family spends $300-$500 per year on laundry. While you might not be able to get a price break on detergent, you can definitely save some money using a smart washer.
New smart washers come equipped with smart-grid technology. This innovative new technology will allow your washer to operate during off-peak hours. This will save you money on your power bill and help alleviate stress on the grid.
Automated Lighting
If you’ve already switched to LED light bulbs, then lighting your home probably isn’t high on your list of home expenses. However, automated home lighting systems are becoming popular for another reason.
Instead of just leaving the lights on when they go on vacation, more people are turning to automated lighting systems. These systems can turn lights on and off, as well as dim them, to give the illusion that someone is home when you’re away. It can also help you make sure that your children aren’t staying up all night long.
Heat Sensing Smoke Detectors
Heat sensing smoke detectors are the way of the future for accurate fire detection. While they might not save you money, they could definitely save your life. Heat sensing smoke detectors rely on multiple technologies to sense the presence of fire or smoke and some newer versions can alert the fire department in the case of an emergency.
Smart Locks
Let’s face it, keys can be a serious inconvenience. The days of carrying clunky key rings around are soon to be over. Installing a smart lock will allow you to control who enters your home quickly and easily through an app or by using a punch code. And don’t worry about a power outage locking you out of your home. Most smart lock systems run on batteries or have a battery back-up, so you don’t have to worry about getting stuck outside.
Wrap Up
When it comes to new technology for the home, the future is bright. New innovations will continue to make homes more efficient, secure, and comfortable for years to come. As the price of these new technologies continues to drop it will become more widely available and adapted.